Josephine Teo, assistant secretary-general of the National Trade Union Congress in Singapore, told the Global Times that the number of visitors is expected to reach 17 million by 2020, up from about 10 million now, which she called a "challenging task for a nation of less than 5 million."
"The two resort complexes are designed to make profits by running casinos to subsidize other travel facilities we are highlighting," she said. "That's why the casinos occupy less than 5 percent of the area of the resorts, while other related services also provide many employment opportunities for locals."
Government projections have estimated that each resort could contribute about S$2.7 billion ($1.9 billion) to the national GDP by 2015.
This windfall has even caught the eyes of other countries desperate for tourism boosts. In Japan, for instance, media outlets are speculating that the nation is planning to imitate Singapore by doing away with some gambling bans and building similar integrated resorts.
(Source: Global Times)
